was invited to the media day on March 13, 2018 at Spangdahlem air base to cover the flying operations that are part of a two-week base-wide readiness exercise.

MSgt Currier, public affairs 52nd Fighter Wing, explained: 'The readiness exercise is designed to test the ability to respond quickly to any threat or emergency, to receive additional forces and to rapidly generate aircraft to respond to any regional adversary aggression. The training is also geared to test the airbase's overall readiness. It tests our ability to respond to attacks, and it approves our general knowledge of self-aid medicare, which is a raw medical training that we get to help ourselves and to help our partners if they get injured during an attack. Readiness has always been a priority for us but exercises like this would help us to maintain our combat readiness.'

In order to cover the flying operations we had the opportunity to view pre-flight operations, take-offs and landings along with interviews of pilots from the 480th Fighter Squadron, the 112th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) and aircraft maintainers from the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

The 112 EFS deployed to Europe as part of the Theater Security Package (TSP) and are conducting exercise related flying operations together with the Spangdahlem based 480th FS and 726th Air Mobility Squadron. MSgt Currier: '[The 112th EFS] are here to participate in our exercise. Their participation showcases how an active duty unit and an Air National Guard unit can come together to accomplish a unified mission. We call this our total force capability where we have active duty and Guard staff work together'.

Lt. Col. Barasch, 112th EFS-commander, who is one of only four fulltime pilots in the 580th FW/112th FS and has flown some 2.800 hours on the F-16, explains: 'We got here on March 6th and we immediately started flying the next day integrated in this exercise. Basically, to work the interoperability and increase our readiness working alongside the ones who are here [...]. In this particular exercise we integrate in both the air-to-air and air-to-ground role. Capt. Watts, Executive Officer of the 480th FS, adds: "It's impressive to see how easily transferable it is in between unit to unit based on the mission sets we do. […] Our primary mission when these pilots come out and fly with us is SEAD. We work them into or they work us into their mission sets. That's how we get that kind of interoperabilities.' The 480th FS is flying the F-16 block 50 and is the only Wild Weasel unit of the U.S. Air Force in Europe.

The readiness exercise also validates the interoperability on the aircraft maintenance side. Capt. Watts, aircraft maintenance squadron officer in charge, states: "The Ohio ANG brought their own set of maintainers. They have integrated with us. Their maintainers are primarily touching their aircraft but they are working in our buildings. They are leaning on us for parts and equipment support if they need it. Their leadership and our leadership have meetings every day and talk about the status of aircraft. […] If they were short on people we would help them out with maintainers." Exercises like these help to review processes and find better and quicker ways to get the maintenance jobs done.

The term Theater Security Package refers to the routine deployment of U.S. fighter squadrons, support personnel and equipment to bolster allied forces in Europe on a rotating basis. These TSP units participate in flying training with joined and allied forces to enhance NATO's interoperability. Mid of January, twelve F-16 block 42 from the Ohio Air National Guard deployed as part of the TSP in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to Estonia. The jets from the 180th FW/112th FS with just over 300 people and about 50 people from 52nd FW formed the 112th EFS. Thanks to a strong jet stream, it took the F-16s eight hours non-stop from their home base in Toledo, Ohio to Estonia. Each jet was air refueling about ten times. Lt. Col. Barasch: 'We don't let the tanks run down. We keep topping them off because over the North Atlantic, there is not a lot of options and you always got to plan for the tanker breaking and/or your jet breaking in or can't get gas so you top it off. If you can't get gas then you have a place you can divert to." Back home in Ohio, the 112th FS does the airspace control alert mission and has jets on 24x7 alert. However, the 112th did not do any air policing missions in Estonia. They were "basically there to show the commitment [of the US] to NATO and to enhance the security of the region.[...] Getting away from the home unit and going to a different place and fly with different countries and different squadrons helps to work that interoperability with other units, train alongside and increase our readiness. That's really the point why we do this. Get out of our comfort zone and go places where we don't normally go and immediately execute the mission that we are trained to do and do that alongside with our own country and with our regional partners and allies'.

TSP is between three and six months. For ANG units that do alert missions back home it's usually about three months.

thanks Ms Reiff, MSgt Currier and Lt Rodriguez from 52nd FW public affairs, Capt. Watts from the 480th FS, Lt. Col. Barasch from the 112th FS/112th EFS and Capt. Watts from the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron for making this report possible.